help with problem radial circuit pls ??

[fixit4u]

Hi folks,

called out to my aunts house couple of days ago saying she has lost power to her sockets, , upon arrival found the db was a split board and the rcd had tripped the sockets out, i turned all the breakers off and the rcd now stayed on, i turned them back on one at a time until the radial circuit feeding the conservatory tripped the rcd again, i took the fronts of the sockets all seem to be ok, connections tight etc and all connected together,so i took all the sockets of the wiring and connected the first one , no trip, secong one same and also the last socket -3 in total, strange all seem ok now i thought, so i fastened the first one back to the wall-trips again, take off wall now ok ??? any help please, i put the socket on and moved the wires to the side this time and all ok, two days later tripping back again ????? :mad2:

 

[maffa ent]

needs ir testing, but always, with intermittent / delayed tripping, think of moisture!

 

[markc123]

Intermittent Fault.

Loose connection in certain socket causing arching? Damp getting in somewhere (ref: conservatory)? Knicked a wire slightly in the back of a box thats touching to earth when fastening them back?

IR Test & Fault Find.

 

[telectrix]

exactly what mark said ^^^^^

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Yeah what killer Mark said.

 

[Engineer54]

Did you not take your test equipment with you then?? Why are you fluffing around when an IR tests would lead you to where the problem lies...

 

[markc123]

Yeah what killer Mark said.

Is that in reference to the cat spin lol?

It wasn't ures was it? :laugh:

Don't make me feel worse than i already do, im visioning children crying at a home somewhere and its not pretty. Cat's aren't notable though when uve squashed them, only dogs. Few.

 

[happyhippy68]

Also check where the cable enters the conservatory for insulation wear. That is another favourite place for letting moisture in or cable movement tripping under load.

 

[telectrix]

or if it's been wired in the cavity, it could be chafed behing socket/s. IR test it, then, if the readings are bad, split it down and IR test each section.

 

[Sintra]

Hi folks,

called out to my aunts house couple of days ago saying she has lost power to her sockets, , upon arrival found the db was a split board and the rcd had tripped the sockets out, i turned all the breakers off and the rcd now stayed on, i turned them back on one at a time until the radial circuit feeding the conservatory tripped the rcd again, i took the fronts of the sockets all seem to be ok, connections tight etc and all connected together,so i took all the sockets of the wiring and connected the first one , no trip, secong one same and also the last socket -3 in total, strange all seem ok now i thought, so i fastened the first one back to the wall-trips again, take off wall now ok ??? any help please, i put the socket on and moved the wires to the side this time and all ok, two days later tripping back again ????? :mad2:

Could be as simple as the socket fixing screw has just nipped into the neutral.

 

[SYKRAPS]

Are you sure that it feeds nothing outside such as lighting or a pond perhaps...........I guess it was tripping off load.

Without testing tbh it is not forced to be in the conservatory, you could be looking for a needle in a haystack without your mft.

 

[Octopus]

Your ONLY next step is IR tests.

 

[Rockingit]

Could be as simple as the socket fixing screw has just nipped into the neutral.

That was my first thought as well! Either that or a razor nick in the insulation of a core that's exposed when bent back into the box. Don't even need to IR test to find those - just an ohmeter from the ends of the cable in the CU to the screws in the plates (in theory).

 

[sledgehammer]

What sintra said. Had it before myself.

 

[thekingiam]

wot they all said with a cherry on top